Celebrating Black History Month

Leader,

Happy Black History Month! Ninety-six years ago, Carter G. Woodson, an educator himself, started Negro History Week, a week that would evolve into a monthlong showcasing of the struggles, contributions and joys of Black folks in America.

Across the country, our members are teaching about the history of the Black American experience, as they’ve done every year since Black History Month was created, but this year is different. This year we know there is a clear and present threat to the teaching of American history, particularly the history of Black Americans and the legacy of that history that continues today. Even the teaching of Black History Month itself is at stake.

This month of education and celebration is more important than ever. Teaching and learning history is not always fun. It can be heart-wrenching and can make people feel discomfort and shame. However, the only way to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself is to make sure it is not forgotten. The work AFT members do to recognize, celebrate and educate about Black history helps bend that arc of the moral universe toward justice.

This month, and every month, we continue our fight to ensure that history is taught in the fullest, most honest way.

If you’d like to get involved politically, call your senators today and tell them to pass the African American History Act. Introduced in the House of Representative by Rep. Jamaal Bowman at the end of last year and recently introduced to the Senate by Senator Cory Booker, the African American History Act invests $10 million over five years in the National Museum of African American History and Culture to support African American history education programs that are available to students, parents and educators.

Below are resources from your AFT family and community partners for how to start—and continue—having these important conversations. Black History Month is a special time for schools, and it’s also an important opportunity for us to acknowledge the achievements and challenges of Black Americans beyond the classroom. From how to combat racism in healthcare to stories from Black public employees, you’ll find a breadth of resources below.

Share My Lesson

• Black History Month Lesson Plans and Resources

Human Rights and Community Relations

• Resources to start and support BLM at School

• Best multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults and educators

Healthcare

• COVID-19 & Racial Equity brief

• Structural Inequities in Healthcare brief

• COVID-19 & Racial Equity webinar

• Investing in Our Future

• Improving Care of LGBTQ People of Color

• The Importance of Respectful Maternity Care for Women of Color

• Healing a Poisoned World

American Educator

• Learning History, Facing Reality

• Suppressed History: The Intentional Segregation of America’s Cities

• Teaching for Social Justice

• Teaching Reading to African American Children

• Teaching About Identity, Racism, and Fairness

Public Employees

• Listen to this podcast from Brookings Cafeteria to learn about how to identify when a public policy is racist.

• Read about how mayors are using federal funds to advance racial equity

• Public Sector Jobs: Opportunities for Advancing Racial Equity from the Local and Regional Government Alliance on Race and Equity

• Governing for Equity: Implementing an Equity Lens in Local Governments from the International City/County Management Association

• Advancing Racial Equity in Your City from the National League of Cities

Higher Education

• AFT’s perennially useful guide to diversifying higher education

• Our friends at AAUP have a roundup of resources concerning the legislative gag orders

• Read and uplift AFT Higher Education’s Twitter thread on the recent coordinated bomb threats targeting HBCUs

In unity,
Randi Weingarten
AFT President

Graphic attribution:<a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/black-history-month">Black History Month Vectors by Vecteezy</a>